Dennis Agbo
10 October 2008
Abakaliki — An industrialist, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, has said that Nigeria needs to find smarter ways of meeting its energy needs so as to also encourage manufacturers make better choices about energy consumption contending that "it may not be right to think that even with the proposed N85 billion recommended by the energy committee, the nation could guarantee steady supply of energy in the country.
Dr. Obidigbo made the summation, while delivering a paper titled "The Impact of Energy on the Manufacturing Sector" at the 21st Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Manufacturers' Association of Nigeria, (MAN) Anambra/Enugu/Ebonyi States branch at the International Trade Fair, Enugu.
He told the gathering manufacturers from the three south eastern states that since manufacturing involves extensive technology-based development of the productive system of an economy, industrial development should represent a deliberate and sustained application and combination of suitable technology.
The Guest Speaker, who is also the Managing Director of Hardis and Dromedas Limited, argued that the uncompetitiveness of goods produced in Nigeria is traceable to the fact that apart from other facets of the economy which affect the manufacturing environment, electricity has remained a contributing factor especially given the running cost of private generators.
"Energy experts are already predicting that global market pressures on oil and gas markets will ensure that high prices will be with us for some time. The high cost of energy, epileptic electricity supply and pathetic infrastructure support remains the bane of the manufacturing sector of our country. Nigeria's federal government has been giving lip service to the necessity of providing an alternative energy source removed from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), so as to achieve the nation's target of industrialization and economic turn-around," he contended.
Dr. Obidigbo noted that because manufacturing firms play the primary role of helping to provide employment opportunities for youths, eradicate poverty and provide opportunities for an on-the-job training in information communication technology (ICT).
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
